Friday, August 7, 2009

Seasoned Protesters

By Alan Caruba

Have you taken a close look at the protesters showing up at the town hall meetings being held by the horrified members of Congress? These folks are often quite OLD.

Unlike the union or ACORN thugs that Democrats use to intimidate attendees, some of those giving their Congressman an ear-full show up in wheelchairs or using walkers. The healthier among them seem quite at ease raising their voices and why is that?

Being among that generation, it occurred to me that they are the same people who showed up for the Civil Rights marches and at the Vietnam War protests in Washington, D.C when I was a young man. I was there, too. I saw these folks show up to demand President Nixon resign after the Watergate scandal got too big for him to silence.

Many of them--often quite liberal--continued showing up for environmental causes or for a march to find a cure for breast cancer. These are seasoned protesters; often liberal in their youth and just as often now conservative in their older years.

This generation of elder protesters has had plenty of practice and now has plenty to protest about. They aren’t a bunch of kids with no knowledge of history. These people lived history!

To begin with, they don’t want the government messing around with their medical insurance plans and they don’t want the government telling their doctors what they can and cannot do to ensure they get the best medical care available.

Those liberal programs, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, plus the prescription add-ons, may be socialism, but they like that kind of socialism; it’s the kind that helps pay their bills. Beyond that, they want the government to butt out.

Crazy schemes to sell carbon credits in order to limit carbon dioxide seem like the most absurd notions to the elderly, many of whom moved to warmer climates in Florida and Arizona to get away from the cold winters of the northern states. Global warming? They’re for it!

Like the rest of the population, they know that the weather has turned cooler all around the nation and those that keep up with such matters know there is no “global warming” and that they’re being scammed in order to put a huge new tax on the use of all energy.

One of the great appeals of Barack Obama when he was campaigning was his youth. Poor John McCain looked and sounded like Ebenezer Scrooge beside him. Youth, however, has some inherent problems such as the lack of the kind of experience needed to run a superpower, to find the right answers to end a deep recession, and to deal with the real threats to security and peace in the world.

At this point, the old folks know that the unemployment rate is much higher than the “official” announcement by the government. They know that Obama is doing nothing to thwart Iran from getting nuclear weapons. They know he hates Israel and they are seriously beginning to think he hates America, too.

All those old folks showing up at the town hall meetings were seriously offended when President Obama ran around the world apologizing for America’s having saved a large portion of it from the Empire of Japan and the Nazis in World War II, for having faced down the former Soviet Union for most of their lives, and for having had to invade Iraq (twice!) to stop Saddam from making war on his neighbors.

Some recall Pearl Harbor and all of them recall 9/11 like it was yesterday.

Listening to the new Dear Leader Barack telling some members of Congress to shut up and get out of the way because he wants to turn the U.S. into a giant Communist commune does not go down well with those old folks.

Their bones may ache a bit and their gait may be slower than in former days, but they know how to protest so they went to the town hall meetings to let their Congress critter know they don’t like being ignored, bullied, or taxed into the grave and beyond.

On September 12, there’s going to be a mass march in Washington, D.C. to protest proposed taxes and, even though I am in my 70s, I might just show up.

6 comments:

  1. March on Alan! March on!! A seasoned professional with experience who has lived history has my vote of confidence and my respect.

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  2. Alan, well done as always!

    With every Obama threat the so called "mobs" will grow larger. People aren't just angry they are outraged!

    "Give me liberty or give me death" is in our DNA. We do have American Patriots who will, if necessary, rise to the occasion.

    It has been reported that Obama has put the union leaders and their members along with ACORN people on alert. They are to go to the Town Hall meetings, rallies and such and "hit hard." Now isn't that a fine thing for a President to say?

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  3. Listening to the news reports about the "mobs" attending these meetings is rather disturbing. As usual, the media is missing the whole story, which is that LARGE NUMBERS of regular citizens are flocking to these meetings to voice their outrage at all this bogus legislation being crammed down our throat. They're simply exercising their right to free speech. Too bad if these "representatives" (and I use that term loosely) don't want to hear what they have to say. All the media can do in response is express their outrage and try to smear these people ... how insulting. Where is the media's outrage when people attack Ann Coulter on stage, or make death threats against Bush, Hannity or Limbaugh? The hypocrisy is mind numbing. I've found myself somewhat amused by it, but it's really not very funny when you realize what it means.....

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  4. I'm glad that there are a lot of folks who have not lost their ability to think and thus challenge those in charge. Our government is on the short path to establishing communism lite within our borders (or what's left of them). The young effete rock star worshipping voters who put Obama in office cannot discern the danger. They have not been taught to think, nor do they consider our freedom worth dying for. Everything has been given to them and they consider themselves strong and moral because they have conquered multiple levels of violent video games. Few have really bled. Fewer still will stand in the face of increasing tyranny and our Nation will writhe in their ignorance. My prayer is that there will be some who sense the danger and begin to lead their contemporaries in a way that will save the Republic.

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  5. Yes!

    This 72 year old objects to what our so called leaders are trying to do. They are trying to take over the entire economy of the US and to run every aspect of our lives. They have violated their oath of office and have violated nearly every one of our individual rights. Our government is no longer legitimate.

    The inalienable right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness FOREVER!

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